, 1887-11-08
DIAMOND MINES
PRECIOUS STONES FOUND IN THE
REGIONS OF GoLcoNDA.

NONSO'NSFF
Yield of the Mines of India and of Bra
zfI-The Famous Kimberly-New South
Wales and Borneo-CeyIon's Valuable
Gems.
There are in India three extensive tracts,
widely separated from one another, in
which the diamond has been sought for.
The name of Golconda, originally applied
to a capital town NOW a deserted fort in
the neighborhOod of Hyderabid), seems to
have been used for n whole kingdom; but
the town itself is many miles distant from
the nearest diamond mines, and it was
only the mart where the precious stones
were bought and sold. The second great
tract occupies an immense area between
the Mahanud and the Godavery rivers;
and the third great tract is situated in
Bundelcund, near the capital of which
Punnah-some of the mines are found.
For those content with a slowly paying
occupation and a hard life, involving close
supervision Of the workers, diamond min
ing will pay, provided such persons pos
sess capital sufficient to last them n few
years. The diamonds now are usually
brought from Partial, close to the south
ern portion of the Nizam's dominions.
Tn deepest pits are not more than twelve
feet. The matriX of the diamond in those
localities IL a conglomerate sandstone.
Tn applisnres of modern machinery for
excavation, etc, directed by men of sci
ence, may possibly bring to light gems
tlut have not been discovered by the rude
native processes of search.
1t would be curious to ascertain the
yield of diamonds in the east from those
mines in the last $50 years, and of Brazil
in the last 100 years since the discovery
there; but no such data are obtainable,
nor indeed can any reliable estimate be
formed of the value of the diamonds
owned in different countries.
From the four principal mines in Gri-
qualand (Which all lie within a circle with
a diameter of three miles,, calculating the
amount of diamondiferous ground re-
moved and the known average yield per
load in each, it is found that not less than
33, 600, 900 carats of diamonds Tor more
than q 1-2 tons weight mi have been
extracted since the first discovery, realiz-
ing in round numbers $40, DOC, 900.
TIE FAMOUS KIMBERLEY.
The yield of diamonds from the Kimber-
ley mine alone, from the opening in 1871
to the end Of 1885, is stated to have eX-
ceedcd II, 500, 900 carats, equal to three
INT onc-nalf tons weight of precious
stones, in value about soc, 900, 900. To
obtain this, as many thousand tons of reef
and ground have had to be eXcavated.
The mine is 45O feet deep, and the cubical
contents of this huge cavity measures
about 9 1000, coo cubic wards. Four thous.
and Katlirs are employed at this mine,
and more thar 20, 600 natives of Africa
arrive yearly at the mines in search of
work; so that the employment of native
labor and the development of native trade
are incidental benefits conferred on South
Africa by the discovery of the diamond
fields.
The Dutch government are the owners
of the diamond mines IN Borneo, which
ure situated in the district of Landak, in
the territory of Po%nteyanak; they are
worked by Dyalls and Malays, but with
far superior skill by the Chinese. The
gems are found in n yellow colored gravel,
ut depths ranging to sixty feet. Adj
vances are made to the miners, who are
bound to deliver all stones at 20 per cent.
below their market value.
Diamond mining in New South Wales
is likely to become of much Importance,
and the colonists are sanguine of being
able to compete with south Africa in this
trade. Twelve thousand diamonds nave
been obtained up to the present time,
chiefly from the tertiary gravels and re
cent drifts in the Bingera, Invereu and
Chittagong districts. The largest dia-
mond yet found weighed 1862 grains, or
about 8 SO carats. They are of good
color and quality. Companies with large
capital are forming to buy up and work
the extensive diamond fields in Bingera.
Other gem stones found in that colony are
garnets, the common emerald green
beryD, Oriental emerald green sapphire).
royal blue sapphire, white and pale blue
topaz and agates.
CEYLoN's PRECIOUS STONES.
Ceylon has always had a reputation for
itS richness in DrpciOuS stones inferior
kinds, such as the moonstone and the
garnet, are found in the beds of streams
about Randy, Newark Eleya, Badulla and
some of the small rivers of the south; but
the more precious stones, such as the
ruby, the blue sapphire, the Oriental topaz
of various yellows, the Alexandria and
the cats eye, must be sought within n
radius of thirty or forty miles from Ratna-
pura, the city of gems.
The search for gem stones is carried on
in the most primitive manner in Ceylon.
The soil, supposed to be rich in precious
stones, is rented for an annual sum from
the government. Coolies are set to work
to dig the earth, which is heaped up on
one side, and then washed through n
trough with variously sized perforated
zinc stops, which retain all stones, accord
ing to their sizes. These are placed ON a
table or fiat surface, and the gems are
easily distinguished n picked out. The
proportion of gems capable of being cut
and really marketable is not more than
l per cent.
OF the siliceous gems, the amethyst, of
a purplish violet hue, is the most valu-
able. The best amethysts are brought
from Cambay in India, and from Siberia,
Ceylon and Persia, where they are found
both lining the cavities of goodies and in
rolled masses. The chief supply of the blue
turquoise is drawn from the peninsula Of
Sinai, the great mining district of the an
cient Egyptians. Professor p. L. Sim
monds in Journal Of the Society of Arts.
Justices in Their Robes.
The justices of the supreme court of